Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese is a perfect low-carb side dish that only needs about 15 minutes in the oven! The Pecorino-Romano cheese is a wonderful combination with this roasted broccoli and lemon, but you can use Parmesan cheese too if that’s what you have.

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This Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese is easy and delicious, and it’s perfect when you don’t want a richer broccoli dish like Broccoli Gratin, but you’d like something tasty for a special meal. And due to the generous amount of lemon juice that’s tossed with the broccoli before it’s roasted, plus the always-a-wow flavor of Pecorino-Romano Cheese cheese, this roasted broccoli is incredibly flavorful.

And this is quick and easy to make! Besides being healthy and delicious, what really makes this a perfect side dish is the way the broccoli cooks at high heat in only about 15 minutes.

This broccoli with lemon and Pecorino would even be great for Thanksgiving, when you could roast the broccoli in the oven while you’re carving the turkey and making gravy. Through the years I’ve also made this recipe more user-friendly by tossing the olive-oil lemon mixture with the broccoli before it cooks, which eliminates a last-minute step and could be done a little bit in advance if you’d like.

Of course you’ll want to serve it on a fancy serving dish for Thanksgiving, but I bet the family would gobble it up off the sheet pan any time you make it for a week-night dinner!

What Ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• broccoli 
• extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• sea salt to taste
• freshly grated Pecorino-Romano Cheese

What if you don’t have Pecorino-Romano Cheese?

I buy Pecorini-Romano Cheese at Costco and absolutely love it in this recipe, but this would also be delicious with Parmesan if you don’t want to buy a special cheese for one recipe. But if you have Pecorino-Romano this is a great way to use it!

Storing the Pecorino-Romano Cheese:

When I try a recipe with an ingredient like Pecorino-Romano cheese that I don’t use often, I’m thankful for my FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer (affiliate link) which allows me to vacuum-seal things and keep them from going bad. The FoodSaver is one of the most used items in my kitchen!

Want more low-carb ideas for broccoli side dishes?

Check out Low-Carb and Keto Broccoli Side Dishes for more broccoli options from Danica's Kitchen and around the web!

How to make Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Preheat oven to 450F/220C.
2. Cut up enough broccoli to make about 6 cups of small broccoli pieces.
3. Whisk together the olive oil, salt, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice and toss the broccoli with that mixture.
4. Spread broccoli out on a large roasting pan that you sprayed with a little non-stick spray, spacing it so pieces are not touching each other as much as possible and put it in the oven.
5. While broccoli cooks, use a large grater to grate some Pecorino-Romano cheese.
6. Start to check broccoli after about 10 minutes. (You can turn it at that point, but it’s not essential and if you’re busy making the rest of the meal don’t worry about the turning!)
7. Cook until the broccoli is starting to get browned on the edges, about 15 minutes, or slightly longer if you prefer your broccoli more done.
8. When broccoli is done to your liking, put on a serving plate and sprinkle with the grated cheese (or just serve right from the baking sheet for a more casual meal!)

More Roasted Vegetables for a Side Dish:

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar
• Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Gorgonzola
• Roasted Asparagus and Peppers

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Yield: 4 servings

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese cooks at high heat for about 15 minutes, making it so perfect for when you want a special but quick-and-easy side dish.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. broccoli pieces, cut so flower ends are not over an inch across (see notes)
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
• sea salt to taste (I used a sea salt grinder)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano (see notes)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450F/220C. Spray a large metal baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray.
2. Trim broccoli stalks so pieces are close to the same length. You may want to peel the broccoli with a vegetable peeler if the skin seems tough. Cut apart broccoli flowerets so pieces are the same size and each flower end is about an inch across. (To avoid the mess from trimming broccoli, cut through the stem part, then pull flowerets apart. I don’t remember where I learned this trick, but it really works!)
3. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, with a little sea salt to taste. Toss the cut broccoli with that mixture.
4. Spread out broccoli pieces out on the baking sheet so they aren’t touching each other. Roast broccoli until pieces are bright green and starting to get browned edges.
5. While broccoli cooks, use a large grater to grate the Pecorino-Romano cheese.
6. I would check the broccoli after 10 minutes, and then again after 5 minutes. You may want to cook it a few minutes longer if you prefer your broccoli quite well-done. You can turn it if you prefer, but if you're making this for a busy holiday meal, no need to turn!
7. Sprinkle the hot broccoli with Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes

You'll need about about 6 cups cut broccoli. I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice for this recipe. The Pecorino-Romano cheese is delicious in this recipe, but use Parmesan if you don't want to buy a special cheese.

This recipe adapted from one that appeared in Fine Cooking Annual 2008, one of my favorite cookbooks of all time!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 335mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese would be a perfect side dish for any low-carb or low-glycemic eating plan, including Keto. I’d eat this for the original South Beach Diet, but if you’re following the letter of the law for South Beach you’d want to use a bit less cheese!

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more holiday recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese was first posted in 2008! It was updated with better photos in 2018 and was last updated with more information in 2023.

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